Fleece lining



March 19, 1963 H. DRlEscH 3,081,517

FLEECE LINING Filed April l1, 1960 FIG. 2

:NVE/vrom HANS DRIESCH United States Patent Office atented Mar. i9, 19633,081,517 FLEECE LINING Hans Driesch, Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany,assignor to Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken AG., Wuppertal-Elberfeld,Germany Filed Apr. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 21,l96 Claims priority,application Germany Apr. 15, 1959 6 Claims. (Cl. 28-78) This inventionrelates to fleece lining which serves as a protective covering materialin the form of a textile product. In particular, the invention providesan improvement in textile fabrics which are worn for protection againstcold .and moisture, such as sleeping Ibag-s, quilts, quilt liners,mountain-climbing jackets, seamens clothing, and the like.

It is a well known practice to line protective garments or similararticles such as sleeping bags with a fleece in the form of a voluminouscollection of natural or synthetic fibers. The fibers are not Woven orcompressed but are maintained in a normally expanded condition by theirnatu-ral wavy or curled structure, or by artificial crimping .in thecase of synthetic fibers. The outer fabric which covers the lining mayalso consist of natural or synthetic fibers, usually in a relativelytight weave, and this outer fabric may be made moisture-proof ifdesired. An inner fabric lining is also usually provided and the fleeceis held between the inner and outer fabrics.

In order to prevent the fleece lining from slipping or shifting, -thecompleted product as a rule -is quilted, i.e., it is seamed or stitchedin a regular pattern to hold the fleece in a more stationary position.Such quilting is especially disadvantageous, for example in the outdooruse of sleeping bags, because moisture can penetrate through thequilting seams into the interior even though the outer fabric cover iscompletely moisture-proofed with a continuous coating.

In many cases, fleece lining is unsatisfactory because body perspirationis trapped by the fleece and held close to the body, especially in thoseinstances where lthe outer fabric cover is moisture-proofed and preventsthe perspiration from being evaporated into the surrounding atmosphere.The protective covering is then relatively uncomfortable and loses muchof its value.

One object of the present invention is to provide a fleece lining havinga novel construction which permits Protection against cold or moisturebut which does not have the disadvantages of previous linings.

Another object of the invention is to provide fleece lining in whichmoisture is conducted away from the enclosed body as well as beingrepelled from the outer surface of the lining.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved fleecelined fabric article adapted to at least `partially enclose the body ofa person and suitable for protective use under a wide range of climaticconditions.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become moreobvious upon consideratlon of the Vfollowing detailed specicationtogether with the accompanying drawing in which:

FlG. l represents a cross-sectional view over the thickner layer offleece s not made moisture-proof and is formed in such a manner thatmoisture is automatically removed or directed from the inner layer tothe outer layer of fleece.

The fleece lining of the invention is further characterized by thefollowing essential features:

(1) The thickness of the outer layer of fleece should be less thanone-half of the thickness of both layers, preferably about l0 to 50% ofthe combined thickness. The inner layer of fleece is thereforepreferably 50 to 90% of -the total thickness, these measurements beingmade in the relaxed state, i.e. when the lining is in a normallyexpanded and voluminous condition.

(2) The denier of the fibers in the outer layer of fleece should besmaller than the denier of the fibers in the inner layer. For example,the outer layer fibers may have a denier of about 1 to 6 and the innerlayer fibers may have a denier of about 2 to 25, but in all cases theouter fiber denier is smaller Ithan the inner fiber denier. Stated inanother way, it is .preferable for the ratio of the inner denier toouter denier to `be at least about 2:1.

(3) The fibers of the outer fleece should preferably have a crimping-arcnumber which is smaller Ithan that of the fibers of the inner fleece.For example, the outer fibers may have a crimping-arc number of about 30to 120 arcs/ l0 cm. while that of the inner fibers can be about 60 to200 arcs/l() cm.

The fibers in each layer can be composed of the same material or thefibers can be derived from different sources. Various natural fiberssuch as wool can be employed, provided that the denier or fineness isgraded to correspond with the above requirements for each layer. Thenatural Waviness or crimped state of wool fibers is generally sufficientfor use in both layers.

It is especially desirable to use fibers in the inner layer of fleecewhich have a very high resistance to creasing and a correspondingly highexpansion capacity. This characteristic will contribute to theinsulating and moisture-removing properties of the combined layers. ItiS therefore especially desirable to employ polyester fibers, such aspolyethylene terephthalate, for the inner layer of fleece. However,other synthetic fibers are also useful, including polyamides,polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride and the like.

With reference to .the drawing, the fleece lining as shown in FIG. l isessentially composed of an inner layer of fiber fleece 1 and an outerlayer of fiber fleece 2 which lie adjacent to each other. As indicatedby FIG. 2, the fleece is prefer-ably held between an outer covering 3and an inner fabric lining 4, and the nished product may be quilted inthe usual manner. The ltwo layers of fleece may Ibe separated by a thinor open-weave porous fabric or may be in direct contact. Direct contactis especially preferred since the fibers in each layer of fleece willtend to intermingle or become loosely connected by tangling of theindividual fibers. Quilting seams or stitches can then be made only inthe outer layer of fleece, connecting it to the outer protective coatingor sheath 3, and the inner layer of fleece will then be held in positionmerely by contact Iwith the outer layer and will not tend to slip. Forvery large areas, the inner fleece can also be stitched in place'by aquilt pattern, e.g. such that the stitching seams form rectangles orsquares, whereby the rectangular area enclosed by the stitches of theinner layer is much larger than that of the outer layer. in this case,the outer layer of fleece is first stitched to an outer protectivesheath 3 and the inner layer is ysubsequently stitched thereto or to theinner fabric lining 4.

The outer layer of fleece should be made moistureproof, either bytreating all of the fibers in this layer with a suitablemoisture-proofing, water-repelling or hydrophobing agent or by treatingonly the outermost fibers in this layer. Por example, the libers can allbe immersed in a moisture-prooling agent and then formed into the outerlayer of ileece, or the moisture-proofing agent can be sprayed on theoutside of the preformed layer. Also, the outer layer of eece can bemade more moisture-proof by covering it with a moisture-proofed fabricor protective synthetic resin sheath 3 as indicated in FIG. 2. By usingboth the sheath and a treatment of the outer fibers, moisture enteringthrough quilting stitches or through a partially moisture-proofed sheathis more readily prevented from penetrating into the inner lleece.

The terms moisture-proof, water-repellant and the like are employedherein to mean either a partial or complete exclusion of water. It iswell known that textile articles can be treated in a number of ways toprevent the penetration f water through the surface of the article. Forexample, a fabric which is completely impervious to water is obtained bycompletely covering or lling the interstices or pores between fiberswith a suitable water-proofing agent. Thus, a completely waterprooffabric is obtained by impregnating or coating the cloth with rubber,pyroxylin, cellulose acetate, linseed oil, tar, or various syntheticresins. On the other hand, partial water-proofing usually does not closeor substantially reduce the interstices or pores between bers, but isobtained by treating the fibers with a compound which increase thesurface tension between fibers and the water so that it becomes quitediliicult for the water to penetrate through the surface into thearticle. Such compounds are often referred to as surface active orhydrophobing agent, and the following are typical examples: aluminumacetate, parafn Wax emulsions, metallic soaps, cuprammonium solution orvarious long chain quaternary ammonium compounds.

For the purpose of the present invention, it has been found that certainsilicon-containing compounds are especially advantageous as awater-prooling or moistureproong agent to be sprayed on the libers ofthe outer eece. -As a class, these compounds may be defined asmethylpolysiloxanes. The exact composition of these products which arecalled siliconeoils and produced under trade names by several firms isnot known e.g. Perlit Sl and Silicone Emulsion Bayer H by FarbenfabrikenBayer or Siliconhydrophobierungslsung 138 by Goldschmidt or PhobotexFII-I by Ciba.

The fleece lining or" the invention will prevent penetration of moistureso that the enclosed body of a person will not become wet, and thelining also permits the escape of vapors from respiration and removesperspiration from the body. For example, if rain water penetratesthrough the quilting stitches or seams in those cases where the articleis substantially completely Waterproofed, the drops of moisture arehalted or prevented from further penetration at the surface of the outerliber fleece. At the same time, perspiration in vapor form can escapethrough the inner lleece and also through the wholly or partlymoisture-proofed outer lieece, and can also pass through the coveringfabric or the quilting seams to the outside atmosphere.

Partial moisture-proofing of the outer fleece is especially advantageousfor the eliicient removal of perspiration away from the enclosed body.Because of the smaller denier, smaller crimpling-arc number andcorrespondingly smaller resistance to creasing or compacting of theouter liber iieece, this layer has a relative small proportion of openspaces intermediate the fibers. The inner fiber fleece, on the otherhand, has a considerably greater proportion of open spaces betweenfibers, i.e. is more voluminous and open because of the higher denier,greater crimping and greater resistance to creasing or compacting. Theopen spaces intermediate the t'ibers act as capillary conduits for themovement of vapor or moisture. Since water moves from coarse or largecapillary intermediate spaces to small or tine capillary Spaces, theunevaporated perspiration will first be absorbed "by the inner liberfleece and conveyed to the tine capillary intermediate spaces of thenon-moisture-proofed portion of the outer liber fleece where it willcollect and slowly evaporate. In the same manner, the outer layer offleece will absorb condensed perspiration which may form because of lowatmospheric temperatures. Thus, with the eece lining of the invention,moisture moves or is collected by capillary preference from the innerlayer of eece into the outer layer of eece.

The invention is further illustrated, but not limited, by the followingexamples which given the composition and physical characteristics of thefleece in each layer of various linings.

Example A.-Sleepng Bag Lining (l) Inner fleece: 40() g./m.2 of polyesterbers, in which the individual libers are 30 mm., 3 denier, with 100arcs/ 10 cm.

(2) Outer fleece: 75 g./m.2 of polyester tibers of 40 mm.,

1.4 denier, with 40 arcs/ 10 cm.

Example B Sleeping Bag Lining (l) Inner eece: 250 g./m.2 of polyesterfibers of 60 mm., 6 denier, with 80 arcs/10 cm.

(2) Outer fleece: 60 g./m.2 of polyester fibers of 60 mm., 3 denier,with 50 arcs/ l0 cm.

Example E.-Quit Liner (l) Inner eece: 250 g./rn.2 of polyvinyl chloridefiber of mm., 20 denier, with 100 arcs/ 10 cm.

(2) Outer ileeee: 90 g./m.2 of polyvinyl chloride fiber of 60 mm., 6denier, with 6() arcs/ 10 cm.

The above l'leeces can be obtained by well known methods or from readilyavailable sources. If desired, it is also possible to employ mixtures ofdifferent fibers and the denier may be varied or mixed within the statedlimits of the invention. The outside surface of the outer lleece layer Zis sprayed in each case with a moistureprooling agent, e.g. in the aboveexamples, each square meter of surface was sprayed with 40 grams of anemulsion containing g. per litre Perlit SI (a siliconeoil produced byFarbenfabriken Bayer) and having a pH value of 6. The sprayed fleece wasthen dried at 100 C. and eventually heated for 10 minutes at 140 C.

In order to provide a particular textile article, the tleece layers werequilted in the usual manner. In actual use, the eece lined products ofthe present invention provide excellent protection against cold andmoisture even during use for extended periods of time. The eece liningis especially advantageous in mountain clirnbing where there are extremetemperature and weather conditions. Chilling of the body vbycontact withcondensed perspiration is much more easily avoided because of thespecific construction of the two-layer tleece lining.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A eece lining for a protective covering material adapted to at leastpartially enclose the body of a person, said lining comprising twolayers which are porous to the passage of vapors therethrough and whichconsist essentially of an outer moisture-proofed layer and an innermoisture-absorbent layer of liber iieece in vaporous communication, theouter layer of fleece with respect to the body to be covered beingmoisture-proofed by treating at least the outermost fibers therein witha moistureprooing agent, said outer layer being composed essentially ofbers having a denier of about 1 to 6 and a crimp of about 30 to 120 arcsper 10 om., said inner layer being composed essentially of fibers havinga denier of about 2 to 25 and a crimp of about 6G to 200 arcs per 10cm., the denier and crimping-arc number of the fibers in said outerlayer being respectively smaller than the denier and crimping-arc numberof the fibers in said inner layer, the inner layer of fleece forming atleast one-half the thickness of both layers in the relaxed state andhaving a greater open space intermediate the bers in the relaxed statethan said outer layer whereby moisture moves by capillary preferencefrom said inner layer to said outer layer.

2. A fleece lining as claimed in claim 1 wherein only the outermost bersof said outer layer have a moistureproofing agent applied thereto.

3. A fleece lining as claimed in claim 1 wherein said inner layerprovides from about 50 to 90% of the thickness of both layers in therelaxed state.

4. A fleece lining as claimed in claim 3 wherein the fibers in bothlayers are composed of a polyester.

5. A fleece lining as claimed in claim 3 wherein said layers of fleeceare held between an inner fabric lining and an outer water-repellantfabric protective sheath, said inner lining and said outer sheath beingsufficiently porous to permit the passage of vapors therethrough.

6. A eece lining as claimed in claim 5 wherein only the outermost fibersof said outer eece layer have a moisture-proofing agent applied thereto.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 46,837Waite Mar. 14, 1865 970,950 Rasch Sept. 20, 1910 1,332,549 Fowler Mar.2, 1920 1,454,049 Genung May 8, 1923 2,217,621 Katzner Oct. 8, 194()

1. A FLEECE LINING FOR A PROTECTIVE COVERING MATERIAL ADAPTED TO ATLEAST PARTIALLY ENCLOSE THE BODY OF A PERSON, SAID LINING COMPRISING TWOLAYERS WHICH ARE POROUS TO THE PASSAGE OF VAPORS THERETHROUGH AND WHICHCONSIST ESSENTIALLY OF AN OUTER MOISTURE-PROOFED LAYER AND AN INNERMOISTURE-ABSORBENT LAYER OF FIBER FLEECE IN VAPOROUS COMMUNICATION, THEOUTER LAYER OF FIBER FLEECE WITH RESPECT TO THE BODY TO BE COVERED BEINGMOISTURE-PROOFED BY TREATING AT LEAST THE OUTERMOST FIBERS THEREIN WITHA MOISTUREPROOFING AGENT, SAID OUTER LAYER BEING COMPOSED ESSENTIALLY OFFIBERS HAVING A DENIER OF ABOUT 1 TO 6 AND A CRIMP OF ABOUT 30 TO 120ARES PER 10 CM., SAID INNER LAYER